ID Collective bags Veriu Group account

The new partnership will involve iD developing an awareness of Veriu’s hospitality brands - Veriu Hotels & Suites and Punthill Apartment Hotels - as the conglomerate expands its national reach.

“Veriu is very much leading the charge in micro-apartment innovation, and we are really excited at the prospect of embarking on this journey with the team as they continue to grow and evolve,” said iD Collective director Mary Morton.

“Given our passion for pushing the boundaries in the travel, property and lifestyle space, this partnership seems like a natural fit and we look forward to working with Veriu during this exciting time of growth across Australia’s eastern seaboard and beyond.”

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Double Jump is on hand for social media and influencer engagement for RIG. The other accounts will also be in line for social media and influencer management functions, plus the agency’s other service offerings such as content creation, PR, events, and esports management.

On the staffing front, Double Jump has hired videogame PR practitioner Felicia McEntire as account manager. She brings with her over a decade of experience with clients such as Wizards of the Coast, Bethesda Softworks, and 2K Games.

Current senior account director Claire Malyon will be in charge of PR efforts for Wargaming in both ANZ and APAC markets, the latter of which is a maternity cover for Eileen Lorenzo.

We Are Different earns new accounts

The company revealed that Edgewell Personal Care tapped We Are Different to handle PR and communications duties for men’s brand Bulldog Skincare for Men. Edgewell introduced the brand into the Australian market two years ago, with the products made from natural ingredients such as green tea and aloe vera.

Beverage maker Miller Genuine Draft also sought We Are Different’s services in supporting the Miller Design Lab brand platform. This year’s edition is a multi-agency communications effort led by Connecting Plots.

The new client opportunities come as We Are Different marks its first anniversary.

“It’s amazing to see how receptive brands have been to the agency proposition – particularly during these trying times where an ‘adapt or die’ mentality has never been more important. Our first Birthday represents an exciting time for the agency – we’ve shown we can deliver

Access PR lands Hasbro games account

Access PR has won representation for the games portfolio of American company Hasbro.

The new deal will see Access PR running brand awareness activities for the 85th anniversary of the popular game Monopoly, plus other game brands such as Jenga and Operation.

The account comes after Hasbro reported increasing demand for board games since the COVID-19 lockdown situation broke out three months ago.

“It’s fantastic to work with a company like Hasbro that continues to bring fun and connection to family and friends. Not to mention the Access team is now a band of Monopoly experts – don’t buy utilities is our hot tip,” said Access PR CEO Andrea Kerekes.

Wunderman Thompson ANZ leadership changes hands

Wunderman Thompson ANZ is starting the month with a change at the top, as CEO John Gutteridge is making way for Lee Leggett.

Leggett takes the lead with at least 20 years’ management experience to back her up. Her career includes consulting for Publicis and HAVAS, plus CEO/MD of Initiative, Dare, and Grand Union.

Gutteridge had been with Wunderman Thompson for over a decade, most of it as the CEO of precursor agency JWT.

“I’m now moving onto a new and very different opportunity, which I’m feeling really energised by, I look forward to sharing more details in due course. My time with WPP and Wunderman Thompson has been a very positive experience, providing the chance to work with some really talented and inspiring people from around the world, I look forward to watching their continued success,” said Gutteridge.

Bench PR welcomes new consultants and APAC client

Melbourne agency BENCH PR has signed up two new senior consultants and an APAC regional client.

The senior consultants are Melissa Mack and Min Chow. Mack had previously exited FinTech Australia as co-chair of its Open Banking Policy Working Group. She is also a former senior director at M&C Partners and has a background in finance journalism. Min spent the past few months on freelance consulting after finishing up three years as Weber Shandwick Australia’s SVP.

Min and Mack’s hiring came as BENCH was granted representation of global software developer GitLab in the ANZ region and Singapore. The deal will now involve positioning GitLab’s solutions for the Australian market through influencer representation and content marketing.

“The demand for faster software development is universal but so many companies are struggling to manage the complexity and costs of using different software tools and processes, not to mention the silos between develop

Daylight scores new clients

The Daylight Agency has kicked off the week with new clients on its rolls.

Mumbrella reported that facial-recognition platform Verify Faces, disinfection system Airande, and accounting firm Bishop Collins have come aboard on the client list, along with a previous client, prescription lens maker Essilor. Verify Faces and Airande, in particular, are preparing for an overseas launch.

Daylight’s various services will be angled towards certain elements needed for the accounts.

The agency itself will provide strategic planning, brand management, media relations, and corporate communications support. Government relations and issues management for the accounts will be the realm of Daylight’s First Light reputation management consultancy.

“We are extremely pleased to welcome new brands to our stable and to add additional work for past clients which will utilise both our consumer and corporate expertise. All of these organisations are leaders in their respective field

Daydream Nation open for business

Stacy Piggott has established a new Melbourne PR/marketing agency for entertainment clients, called the Daydream Nation.

Named after an iconic Sonic Youth album, Daydream Nation is being aligned for digital strategy, crisis management, brand integration, personal profilers, and running small or large-scale events.

Piggott established the agency after her last employer, Secret Sounds, closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She had been director since the company absorbed another agency she founded, Two Fish Out of Water, in 2014.

Some former Secret Sounds staff have also joined Piggott in the new company. Alycia Emmerson is in as the head of marketing. Shari Hindmarsh works as senior publicist, while Parisse Toledo joins as publicist.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer a team that can roll out comprehensive and cohesive PR and Marketing campaigns under the one roof for our clients. Alycia, Shari and I have been working closely together on campaigns for years n